Monday, October 13, 2025

Flotsam and Jetsam - Israeli Hostages Freed

I was never convinced it was going to happen. From Da Mail, Free at last! Israeli hostages hug one another in joy as all 20 living captives are finally handed over by Hamas following 738 days in Gaza hell as part of Trump's historic peace deal. At Althouse, "The remaining 13 living hostages in Gaza have been transferred into the hands of the Red Cross, the Israeli military said in a statement," "The NYT reports, 51 minutes ago, in its excellent live coverage" and "You know, I'm being a little cute — I don't think there's anything going to get me in heaven." Driscoll at Insty cites ROGER KIMBALL: The Physics and Politics of Peace: Trump’s Triumph in the Middle East and Ben Shapiro "Trump has brokered an unthinkable deal: the release of the final 20 live Israeli hostages, with Israel maintaining a secure posture in the Gaza Strip; the possibility of a non-Hamas future in Gaza, supported by regional allies; the even greater possibility of future Abraham Accords with countries like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. So, how did this happen? It happened the same way things always happen in the Middle East: The decisionmakers ignored the conventional wisdom. The conventional wisdom said that military action could not guarantee security. That wasn’t just wrong; it was catastrophically wrong: It was military action that took out the supporting pillars beneath Hamas’ feet." Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Nowhere has the death of the "expert" class been more evident than in foreign policy. Everything they told you for decades was wrong, specifically regarding the Middle East. All of it, every bit of it, was dead wrong. And they still pretend they have credibility." Quote Matt Whitlock @mattdizwhitlock, "Joe Biden had approximately 1000 years worth of foreign policy experience and literally every conflict / region of the world got worse during his presidency." Unbelievably, except I believe it, at RedState from Bonchie, Antony Blinken Gives Biden Credit for Gaza Deal, and It Gets Worse From There. At Grabien, CNN’s Abby Phillip Blasts Obama for Not Crediting Trump for Israel-Hamas Deal. Credit where credit is due, NYPo reports Hillary Clinton heaps rare praise on President Trump for handling of Israel-Hamas peace deal: ‘I really commend.’

Of course it's not all wine and roses, Fox reports Dozens killed in Gaza as violence erupts between Hamas and armed clans, apparently including well know Paliwood star FAFO. aka Saleh al-Jaafari, seen in countless Hamas videos, portraying anything from a Dr. to a dead body. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, FAFO Found Out; Reported Killed By Fellow Gazans in Tribal Dispute. Will he get an post mortem Oscar? At Althouse, "President Trump Delivers Remarks to The Knesset." Sundance at CTH has a veritable bevy of posts, President Trump Speaks to Reporters as He Departs U.S. for Israel and Egypt, Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdelatty Discusses Hostage Release and Gaza Peace Plan, Sunday Talks – Vice President JD Vance Outlines Gaza Peace Deal, U.S. Troops to Middle East and Qatari Base in Idaho and Sunday Talks – JD Vance vs Margaret Brennan – Video and Transcript

Larry Elder at Hat Hair on The Politics of the Shutdown, Obamacare, Crime and Deportations. At ET, Vance Warns of More Federal Layoffs as Shutdown Persists. "His comments come as the Trump administration recently confirmed 4,100 workers have received layoff notices." From News Wax, Govt Worker Unions Ask Judge to Halt Shutdown Layoffs, Dems' Shutdown Demand Won't Lower Healthcare Costs and Report: Trump Fed Chair Candidates Cut to 5. Matt Margolis at PJM, Democrats Are Quietly Pulling the Plug on Free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants. ET reports Trump Directs Pentagon to Pay Troops During Government Shutdown, "The move follows recent CBO guidance that mandatory accounts under recent legislation could be tapped to cover military pay." Nick Ballasy at JTN, Trump directs Hegseth to ‘use all available funds’ to pay troops during shutdown, "I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown," he wrote. "The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to address Healthcare, and many other things that they want to destroy." Stacey Matthews at LI thinks Trump Outfoxes Schumer and Jeffries, Directs Hegseth to Use ‘All Available Funds’ to Pay Troops . “I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.” From OTP, Trump Weighing $14B Farm Bailout As Bankruptcies Surge.

At RedState Streiff sees JD Vance Cooks George Stephanopoulos for Refusing to Talk About the Schumer Shutdown. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BREAKING: JD Vance destroyed ABC's George Stephanopolous so hard they CUT HIS FEED and went to break  VANCE: "Here's, George, why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you're losing CREDIBILITY, because you're talking for now 5 minutes with the Vice President of the United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I've read about, but I don't even know the video that you're talking about. Meanwhile, low-income women can't get food because the Democrats and Chuck Schumer have shut down the government!" "You are focused on a BOGUS story. You're insinuating criminal wrongdoing against a guy who has done nothing wrong instead of focusing on the fact that our country is struggling because our government's shut down! Let's talk about the real issues, George." "I think the American people would benefit much more from that than from you going down some weird left-wing rabbit hole where the facts clearly show that Tom Homan didn't engage in any criminal wrongdoing." GEORGE: "It's not a weird left-wing rabbit hole! I didn't insinuate anything. I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50,000 as was heard on an audio tape recorded by the FBI in September 2024, and you did not answer the question. Thank you for your time this morning." VANCE: "No, George, I said-" GEORGE: "We'll be right back."  UPDATE: Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics tweets, “I swear, the only reason for the admin going on the Sunday shows anymore is to own the lib anchors. Nobody watches these shows. [Vance] is going to get far more mileage off of this on social media.”

At Hat Hair Josh Hammer looks at Operation Divide MAGA. Sundance, By Request – MAGA Division. OTP, Trump Teasing Construction Of New Monument In DC. From Twitchy, That's How It's Done: Pam Bondi Shows the RIGHT Way to Respond to Satire (Even Lame Satire from SNL)

At Insty, VodkaPundit cites Amuse,  STOLEN: The Algorithm That Rigged the Census: How One Bureaucrat Stole the House and Billions in Funding. Read the whole thing to see how the last census was rigged. Also, Plus: “If all this is true, President Trump’s call for a mid-decade census is more than justified.”

Driscoll at Insty POOR JOE BIDEN IS STRUGGLING TO ADAPT TO PRIVATE LIFE: "Joe Biden’s post-presidency has been rough, to put it mildly. Nearly nine months after Donald Trump reclaimed the White House, Biden is holed up in Wilmington, Delaware, grappling with a reality that must feel like political exile. He’s dealing not just with the sting of losing power, but also the inability to sell access and enrich his family. Though he won’t admit to the latter. . . " Steve Guest @SteveGuest, "WATCH: Kamala Harris reveals that Joe Biden doesn't pick up her calls. Eugene Daniels asking about Biden's cancer treatment: Have you talked to him about it? Kamala: "Yeah. No. I called him earlier." Daniels: "How's he doing?" Kamala: "I have not talked to him. I just left him a message."" I wouldn't want to listen to her either. Ryan King at NYPo, Kamala Harris reveals Biden sent her call to voicemail when ex-VP reached out about cancer treatment. Everyman Commentary Ep. 12 - Democrats Just Need to Message Harder

Michael Barone asks Are Democrats the Party of Murder? Nick Ballasy, Luigi Mangione’s lawyers request dismissal of federal charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination. "He became the darling of leftist women -- even described as "dreamy"-- but the legal team for the poster boy for leftist violence is also arguing that certain evidence should be excluded from trial."

At ET, Appeals Court Says National Guard Can Be Federalized but Not Deployed in Illinois, "A federal district court granted the state of Illinois a temporary restraining order on Oct. 10, halting a National Guard deployment in Chicago." From Newsweek, Trump Is Looking at All ‘Options’ Before Invoking Insurrection Act—Vance. Victory Girls, Antifa Thinks They Are The True Americans.Liz Stauffer at LI reports on a Chicago TV Station Producer Arrested for Throwing Objects at Border Patrol Vehicle, "The legacy media points to a temporary restraining order that “prohibit[s] the use of force against journalists” in Chicago." "Debbie Brockman “was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer.” A producer for WGN-TV, a Chicago television station, arrested after throwing objects at law enforcement. " From Twitchy, Attack of the Theater Kids: Leftist Cosplayers 'Storm' Illinois ICE Facility ... and We Got Nothin'. Mike Ryan @Michael75055607, "Thing is , you can't tell if inside they're strapped with a mack 10 or suicide vest. Best to hit them with a watter cannon on sight and sort it out from a distance." Quote Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " JUST IN: In a pathetic move, liberals are STORMING toward the Broadview, Illinois ICE facility... ...they're acting exactly the way you'd expect." Jeff Carter at Points and Figures, They Need And Want Anarchy, "Especially In Chicago."

Fox, Kamala Harris alleges Trump using DOJ for ‘revenge,’ questions justice system’s integrity, "The former vice president has been touring several cities to promote her book '107 Days'." NYPo ed board, Letitia James now reaps what she had sown — so spare us the faux outrage. RNC Research @RNCResearch, "NBC: "But what about Trump?" LINDSEY GRAHAM: "...You didn't care that Letitia James made up charges that no one's ever faced. That Alvin Bragg made up charges no one ever faced...This may bother you that people are being held accountable. It doesn't bother me one damn bit." Ryan King at NYPo, Trump suggests ‘corrupt’ Sen. Adam Schiff could be next political rival in the crosshairs: ‘Sooo dishonest.’ RealRobert @Real_RobN, "This is: CNN——a criminal enterprise, CNN cuts off @DNIGabbard as she tells the world that Barack Hussein Obama attempted to overthrow the United States government in 2016 as part of a ‘treasonous conspiracy’, overthrew it in 2020 to cover it up—and now he’s been caught. “Multiple intelligence community assessments released in the months leading up to the November 2016 election concluded that Russia had neither the intent nor the capability to impact the outcome of the U.S. election. On December…”"

Fox, More than 30 children rescued amid trafficking operation in major US city as expert warns of growing crisis

At OTP, Okla. State Official Reprimands Student Over Charlie Kirk Tribute "during the talk, Wilson wore a hat emblazoned with “45 47,” given to him by Kirk a few months prior. This apparently did not sit well with OSU’s Melisa Echols, who later informed Wilson his hat could “trigger” some students. “As a person who doesn’t look like you and has not had the same lived experience as you, I have family who don’t look like you who are triggered—and I will be very candid with you—who are triggered by those hats and by that side,” Echols said. Ironically, Wilson (pictured) is Native American — a member of the Cherokee Nation." I don't know about students, but he certainly triggered at least one administrator. 

At ET, MIT Says It Will Not Sign Trump Admin’s Higher Education Compact "MIT is the first of the nine universities invited to join the compact to publicly reject it." "The proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” would require participating universities to freeze tuition for five years, limit international student enrollment, and adopt the federal government’s biology-based definitions of sex and gender when it comes to sports or single-sex spaces. Other provisions call for reinstating the SAT requirement for applicants, curbing grade inflation, prohibiting the use of race and sex as factors in admissions or employment, and reforming or dismantling departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”"

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: No Joy At Fenway at the usual time and place.

1 comment:

  1. Are we really sure that islam has given back ALL the people they stole? islam ALWAYS lies, every time.
    Heltau

    ReplyDelete